近く
chikaku
The Japanese word for nearby is 近く (chikaku).
近く is used to mean nearby or in the vicinity. It can function as an adverb or as a noun meaning the neighborhood or the vicinity. You can emphasize that something is extremely close by adding the adverb すぐ before it to say すぐ近く (right nearby).
Meaning: close to (adv)
Which one should you use?
While 近く acts as an adverb or a noun, you should use the adjective form 近い when you want to directly modify a noun, such as saying 近い家 (a nearby house).
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 近く to indicate the specific location where something exists, it is often followed by the particle に.
How do you pronounce it?
chikaku
Did you know?
- While 近く is a common way to say 'nearby', if you want to describe something being 'close' in a way that implies intimacy or a very close relationship, a different word, 親しい, is typically used.
- In Japanese, the word for 'nearly' or 'almost' is 近く, such as when saying a number is 'close' to a certain amount.
- The noun form of 近く is actually a grammatical transformation of the classical adjective 'chikashi'. It was created by taking the stem of the word and treating it as a noun to describe the area around something.
Examples in context
- 近くにいる？Are you nearby?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is nearby.Tatoeba #12962651 by Inu, translation #11897820 by CK
- 駅はすぐ近くです。The station is nearby.This sentence is useful for stating that a station is nearby.Tatoeba #188896 by bunbuku, translation #26044 by CK
- トムは近くにいる？Is Tom nearby?This sentence is useful for asking if a specific person is nearby.Tatoeba #3496707 by arnab, translation #4945619 by _anna
- あの本屋は、ここからちょっと歩いたところにあるよ。That bookstore is located a short walk from here.
- 53 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are looking for a convenience store near their house.
- 健太 Kenta近くにコンビニはありますか？chikaku ni konbini wa arimasu ka?Is there a convenience store nearby?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、すぐ近くにありますよ。hai, sugu chikaku ni arimasu yo.Yes, there is one very nearby.
- 健太 Kentaそれは助かります。sore wa tasukarimasu.That is helpful.
- 陽葵 Himari健太さん、一緒に行きましょう。Kenta-san, issho ni ikimashou.Kenta, let's go together.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 近く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 近く, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
